Distinguished Georgia Poet Soon to Become Distinguished Novelist

May 15, 2008--Whether you are an avid reader, a writer, poet, publisher, or fan of the arts, you will appreciate Freedom Speaks Diaspora’s personal tale of resilience—the same force that runs through the veins of the main character of her debut novel, Manjani.

After what was supposed to be a family move to Jacksonville, FL, from West Hempstead, NY, as the result of a corporate job transfer, Diaspora soon found herself alone in the new city, with a one-year-old child, and no friends or family within almost 1000 miles. And when her boss ordered her to stop reciting her therapeutic poetry to her coworkers and to tell it to someone who wanted to hear it, she promptly left her job to comply.

Using Atlanta as a launching pad for her career, she quickly became known as one of the best spoken word artists on the scene, touring, and winning local slams and awards, which lead to her opening for Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway at the Fox Theatre, appearing on Robert Townsend’s “Spoken” on the Black Family Channel, becoming published internationally in The African Journal of New Poetry, and now, performing and facilitating workshops at various universities.

As the founder of Freedom Speaks Ink, and now Sun Cycle Publishing, she has turned out two poetry compilations, two spoken word CDs, a DVD, specialty t-shirts, and created community programs under her grassroots organization, Griotsville Foundation.

But despite this success, Diaspora felt incomplete. She says, “Only using poetry, when I am a writer, and can deliver messages in so many different mediums, was limiting.” Therefore, she wrote Manjani, the coming of age story of a girl who wants to be a revolutionary, but needs training first. However, once in the ideal training environment, her comrades turn against her, leaving her with mixed feelings about “the struggle.” The 320-page book, originally intended for high school and college students, deals with activism, relationships, racism, spirituality, sexuality, art, and finding oneself despite internal and external conflicts.

Almost immediately after posting the first excerpt on her MySpace blog, Diaspora became inundated with Comments from readers declaring, “Manjani reminds me of myself when I was in school! I can’t wait to get this book!”

“I want to be a celebrated author of my generation, because one would never know through listening to some our music and even reading some of our books, that some of us have sense. But a lot of us do, and we need stories that cater to us…the ones [of us] who want to heal and preserve our culture, our people, and ourselves,” Diaspora says.

When asked about her name, she reports that “Freedom Speaks” was at first a stage name but quickly became her adopted name because of its positive effect on her self-esteem. The name Diaspora was taken when she realized that she couldn’t pinpoint her ancestors’ native last name, but that she did know she was a child of the African Diaspora.

But it doesn’t end with novels. This writer has also been published by erotica mogul, Zane, in three anthologies, under the pseudonym, Tigress Healy. Although her writing is currently un-agented, she hopes to find an agent soon. “No one would believe me if I told them how much work I have in different genres and how many project ideas I receive—so many, I had to create several databases in Excel for it all.”

Freedom Speaks Diaspora will be performing, signing books, and taking book orders at Book Expo America in the African American Pavilion on May 31, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Sun Cycle Publishing is currently taking pre-orders for Manjani, which will be released on August 1, 2008.

For information: www.suncyclepublishing.com; www.freedomspeaksink.info; www.manjani.com; www.myspace.com/freedomspeaksdiaspora; www.myspace.com/manjani_novel